Nightschool: The Weirn Books: Volume 4

by Svetlana Chmakova, 229 pages

The mystery of Alex's missing sister and the complicated plots behind her disappearance may wrap up in this final volume of the first story arc, but there's more magic and mystery to come.

If I could read these all one right after the other with a wikipedia page open reminding me what's happened, who's who, and how this world is structured, I think I'd enjoy them a lot more. The art is pretty, but the screentones are a little overused (diluting contrast and making everything a similar shade of grey) and enough of the many, many characters look alike that it's hard to keep them, the many-threaded plot, and the rules of the setting clear in my head. I'm not even sure I understand the resolution to this arc. But I like the glimpses I do understand enough to make me curious about when the next volume will be out. Although I may have to give myself a refresher before I start it. *sigh*

Nightschool: The Weirn Books: Volume 3

by Svetlana Chmakova, 212 pages

At school, Alex discovers she's not the only one to remember her sister; nor is her sister the first to have disappeared. She teams up with the student council and a geeky T.A. in order to retrace the steps of the missing.

Elsewhere, the hunters' safe house is betrayed by one of their own and comes under attack by an underworld werewolf gang. But what or who is the real target? And how is this all connected to Alex?

Daemon, the hunters' capable leader, and Mr. Roi, the most powerful, colorful, and insurance-claim-generating teacher at the nightschool, combine their resources to track down the source of the emerging threat and try to find a way to stop it.

There are more subplots here than I know how to explain, so you'll just have to read it (preferably one volume right after another so you don't forget who's who and what's going on).

Nightschool: The Weirn Books: Volume 2

by Svetlana Chmakova, 195 pages

Alex Treveney is a weirn (a special kind of witch) homeschooled by her older sister Sarah, a Night Keeper at a secret after-hours school for weirn, vampires, werewolves, and other "night things". When Sarah disappears, along with all evidence of her existence--including everyone but Alex's memories of her--Alex takes it upon herself to find her. With a burst of unknown power, she somehow survives an encounter with a band of "hunters", whose job it is to take out any night things who break the treaty governing their sharing of the world with humans, and enrolls in the nightschool in order to pick up and follow her sister's trail. Meanwhile, the hunters have to deal with the casualties from their run-in with Alex, whom they assume is a malevolent agent and an enemy to be destroyed--even though she has no idea what she's done.

There's a lot going on in this original English language manga, but if you can keep your threads and characters straight, it's worth it, as the art is attractive, the characters interesting, and the story engaging and unique.

The first two volumes of this series appeared on YALSA's list of "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" in 2010.